Method of lasting shoes



prl 6, 1948. J. s. KAMBoR1AN 2,438,919

` METHOD OF LASTING SHOES Original Filed Deo. 30, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lllllmlll'I llllh April 6, 1948.

METHOD OF LASTING SHOES Original Filed Dec. 30, 1943 2 Sheet-s-Sheet 2,

J. S. KAMBoRlAN4 2,438,919

tions, they feed the work along uninterruptedly while it is being subjected to the up-draft or lasting pull. By making the roll I I4 of somewhat smaller diameter than the roll II3 'the lasting of the shank and toe portions of the shoe is facilitated.

The roll I I4 is fixed to the lower en-d of a shaft I l5 to the upper end of which is secured a worm.

(not shown)v which is always in mesh with the aforementioned worin carried by the shaft |06. However, the shaft IIS is mounted in bearings carried by a movable slide member ||1ffL which comprises an elongate horizontal portion ar` ranged to slide in guideways within the postor standard 2 and which is constantly urged rearwardly by springs (not shown), thus tending to cause the rolls ||3 and IM to approach. On the other hand the rolls may be moved apart to facilitate introduction of the upper material between them by depressing a treadle (not shown) where motion is suitably transmitted to the slide member ||1a so that depression of the treadle causes the slide member to move to the right (Fig. 1) thereby separating the rolls 3 and I I to facilitate introduction of the margin of the upper between them.

In accordance with the present invention, the vibratory wiper of Patent 2,251,285 and the means for operating it are omitted and replaced by a novel rotary wiper. Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the forward face 2b of the frame member 2a is provided with guide brackets |20 furnishing a vertically elongate guideway for the reception of a bearing-supporting slide |2I. This slide is provided with an upwardly `extending tail portion or stem I2 |el which passes through an opening in a horizontal shelf |22 forming part of a bracket |23, secured to the frame, the stem I2 |a having a threaded end engaged by a nut |24 which limits downward movement of the bearing support IZI. A coiled spring I 25 embracing the stem I2 I8L urges the bearing support downwardly. At its lower vend the bearing support |2| carries a bearing sleeve |26 whose axis, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is inclined in the horizontal plane at an angley of rent and that the shafts |06 and |34 are rotating in the proper direction, the operator depresses the treadle thereby moving the rolls |I3 and ||4 `apart and introduces the margin of the shoe upper between them. While such operation of the rolls is convenient, skilled operators may find it possible to introducethe upper material lbetween the rolls without manipulation of the treadle. The operation of the rolls I|3 and ||4 in uninterruptedly progressing the work while the marginal material of the upper is being subjected to lasting stress or up-draft is identical with that of the corresponding rolls of the aforementioned Kamthe order of 20 to the vertical plane X-Y of the' i axes of the shafts |I2 and |I5. The axis of the bearing |26 is also preferably normally inclined to the horizontal as shown in Fig. 1.

The rotary wiper |28 (Fig. 4) comprises the journal portion |21 arranged to turn freely in the bearing sleeve I 26 and has mounted on its forward end a truncated conical roll |29 provided with a helical peripheral rib or screw thread |30. The rotary wiper |23`of which the rib or screw thread |30 is the active wiping element, tapers from its rear end toward its forward end and inclines downwardly and forwardly. Since the shaft |21 is mounted in the vertically slidable bearing support I2| it is possible for the wiper |28 to move upwardly in opposition to the spring |25 in response to pressure of the work beneath it.

The shaft |21 is furnished at its rear end with a spherical knob |32 which is seated in the forward end of a socket |33 and pivotally united to the? latter.V The rear end of the socket |33 is similarly connected to a knob projecting from the forward end of a shaft |34. The sleeve |33 and the knobs provide a conventional universal joint by means of which the shaft |21 maybe driven regardless ofthe position of the bearing |26. The shaft I34(Fig. 1) turns in bearings |35 secured to the under side of the frame 2, the shaft being provided with a pulley |36 which is en-v gaged by the drive belt |31 embracing the pulley borian patents. As the material is uninterruptedly progressed by the rolls, the helical rib |36 of the wiper |28 progressively forces the stressed material inwardly over the edge of the insole just as the material is released from the grip of the rolls. The normal position of the forward end, at least, of that point of the wiper rib or screw thread which operatively engages the work at any given time, is below the horizontal plane of the lower end of the work-positioning boss H48.

'Ihus when the operator presses the surface of the sole member upwardly against the boss H411, the rib or screw thread is forced firmly into the substance of the nearly upright portion of the marginal material where the latter is just being released from the bite of the rolls. The helical rib or screw thread thus partially embeds itself in the upper material so that it is capable of exerting a smooth inwardly directed and uninterrupted screw thrust for inwiping the margin. By reason of the helical form of the wiper element, the in-wiping is a progressive operation, the helical rilb engaging and at least partially embedding itself in the material and gradually propelling it inwardly by a smooth uninterrupted screw thrust without at any time disengaging it or relieving the pressure upon it so that there is no chance for the material to retract. It is thus laid smoothly and firmly down against the insole under substantially the full tension imparted while it was gripped by the rolls II3 and I I4. y It may be remarked at this point that the tensioning of the upper material may be varied by manipulation of the shoe while the upper is gripped by the rolls, as by causing the bottom of the last to be inclined substantially with respect to the plane of the lower ends of the rolls. This up-drawing action may be accomplished by the use of rolls unprovided with helical ribs as more particularly suggested in the Kamborian Patent No. 2,314,047. In accordance with the present invention not only is the up-drawing of the margin of the upper a progressive operation in which the point of stress moves uninterruptedly along the margin of the insole, but the in-wiping is also of a similar progressive character in the nature of a smooth `uninterrupted screw thrust by means of which uniform inwiping pressure is exerted upon the margin, quite different from that occasioned [by the employment of a reciprocating wiper such as that of the previously mentioned Kamborian patents.

Since the rotary wiper |28 as herein disclosed wipes in the marginal material by the application of force appliedaxially of the'wiper and sincethe wiper is of truncated conical form, quite small at its inner end, `for exampletaperingfrom a character of iive-eighths inch at its larger end to a diameter of the lorder of three-eighths inch, at

its smaller end, it is readily possible with this apparatus to last shoes of allv types, even those having very deep Shanks, since the `presence ofV the wiper does? not interfere with the proper manipulation of theshoe. Obviously, the dimensions of the wiper may be varied if desired from those here suggested; Since the wiper is urged downwardly with substantial force by the spring B25 and since it mustV be lifted by upward pressure of the work against it in order properly to engage the margin of ie upper between the rolls, thewperi's always applying substantially constant and uninterrupted and unvaryingpressure,l duringoperation, toward the shoe bottom and thus irons the inwiped mau terials firmly down into secure adhesive engage`- mentwith the inner sole.

While the wipershown in 4 is preferred, it is contemplated that a wiper Vl 28a such as shown in Fig. 5 may be employed, the latter being of skeleton form, omitting the solid supporting roll 29 of the wiper- |28 and merelyr employing an open rigid'helix orscrew thread |311a as the wiping element. This rigid helix may consist of a length of smoothly polished rigid wire secured at its opposite ends to the shaft l21. In Fig. 6 a still further type of wiperis illustrated wherein the roll IEQb is furnished with a helical groove It@ instead of a helical projectingrib.

While wipers such as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 are lcontemplated as useful for the purpose and while the wiper E23 of Fig. l is a preferred construction, it is contemplated that wipers of other specific constructions may be employed within the scope of the present invention providing they are designed toaffect progressive in-wiping action such as is obtained by the employment of the specifically illustrated wipers.

It may be noted that in the operation of the wiper here disclosed the application of stress to the tensioned upper always takes place at a point in the helical rib and that the direction of effective irl-wiping stress is always `substanl'lially parallel to the axis of the helix. Itis further to be noted that the axis of the helix lies in a plane which transects the bottom of the shoe and that, when in action,- the lowermost or work-contacting element of the helix or of the supporting roll |28 is substantially parallel to the surface of the insole. It is also to be noted that as the shoe is moved relatively to the rolls, the axis of the helix is progressively shifted by infinitesimal amounts along the periphery of the last bottom concomitantly with the similar shift of the position of the plane X-Y (Fig. 2) along the periphery of the last bottom.

When herein reference is made to the progress of the gripping means or wiper along the edge of the last bottom, it is to be understood that relative motion is intended since ordinarily the shoe is moved while the gripping rolls and wiping means remain in the same position in space.

ln the description and appended claims the term upper has been used in` a broad sense and is intended to be inclusive of such elements as the wrapper portion of a so-called California style or platform shoe. Moreover, the term insole is to be considered as broadly inclusive of the middlesole, platform or cushion element of such a platform shoe.

While certain desirable embodiments of the invention have herein been illustrated by wayof example it is to beunderstood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. That method of lasting a shoe which comprises as steps applying up-drafting stressto a narrow area of the margin of the upper, thereby to draw the upper snugly about the last, shifting the point of application ofsuch uri-drafting stress uninterruptedly along the margin in such a way that as a fresh area ofthe margin is subjected tosuch stress an area just previously subjected to stress is relieved of such stress, and wiping each successive area of the margin, as the updrafting stress is being released therefrom, inwardly across the edge of the last bottom by a smooth uninterrupted screw thrust whose point of application to the margin is constantly and progressively shifted without intermission at the same rate that the point of application of inwipng stress is shifted so as always to remain at the same distance from the point of application of 11p-drafting stress.

2. Method of 'lasting shoes which comprises as steps seizing an area of the margin of the shoe upper, applying lasting pull thereto such as to stretch the upper snugly about the last, progressively shifting the point of application of such pull relativelyto the last by infinitesimal amounts along the periphery of the last bottom in such a way that as fresh portions ofthe margin are subjected to puil, the stress on the previously stretched portion is released, and engaging a rotating helicalwiping element with the material as the stress i-s being released therefrom, thereby to urge the material inwardly across the edge of.`

the last by a smooth, uninterrupted screw thrust whose point of application to the margin is con-` stantly and progressively shifted without intermission alongltheledge of the last bottom while maintaining said point of application always at the same distance from the point of application of lasting pull.

3. That method of` stressing flexible material and wiping it in over the surface of a substantially rigid part which comprises as steps applying tensioning stress to a narrow area of the flexible material in a direction substantially perpendicular to said surface of the rigid part, shifting the point of application of such stress uninterruptedly along the edge of said surface in such a way that a fresh area of the flexible material is subjected to stress concomitantly with the release of stress from the area just previously subjected prises as steps causing gripping means to seize area of the margin is subjected to up-drawing stress an area just previously subjected to stress is relieved of such stress, causing a rotary wiper element having a helical work-engaging member to contact that portion of the margin which is just escaping from the gripping means, rotating the wiping element about an axis which extends transversely of the edge of the last and while keeping its helical work-engaging member constantly pressed against said margin so that it exerts an in-wiping stress, constantly and progressively shifting the place of application of such in-wiping stress without intermission at the same rate that the place of application of 11p-drawing stress is shifted thereby always to maintain the place of engagement of the helical work-engaging member with the margin at the same distance from the gripping means.

5. That method of lasting shoes which comprises as steps causing gripping elements to seize a narrow area of the margin of a shoe upper and to hold it while up-drafting stress is applied, thereby to draw the upper snugly about the last, one at least of the gripping elements being a rotating roll, uninterruptedly shifting the place of application of such up-drafrting stress along the margin so as progressively to grip'fresh portions of the margin while concomitantly releasing portions previously gripped, engaging a wiping element, comprising a helical work-engaging rib, with that portion of the upper margin which is being released at any given time by the gripping elements, rotating said wiping element while maintaining a substantially constant uninterrupted pressure of its helical rib against the marginal material while constantly and progressively shifting the place of application of such pressure without intermission along the edge of the last in a direction transverse of the axis of said wiping element while maintaining said place of application of pressure always substantially at the same distance from the place of application of up-drafting stress.

6. That method of lasting shoes which comprises as steps, causing a pair of oppositely rotating rolls to seize between them a narrow area of the margin of the shoe upper and to hold it while up-drafting stress is applied thereby to draw the upper snugly about the last, uninterruptedly rotating the rolls thereby to shift the place of their engagement with the work along the edge of the last, the rolls progressively seizing fresh areas of the lasting margin while concomitantly releasing the areas previously gripped, applying to that area of the upper which at any given time is being released from the grip of the rolls an inwiping thrust directed transversely across the Y edge of the last by means of a rotating helical wiping element whose axis always makes the same angle of orientation with the plane of the axes of the rolls, uninterruptedly rotating the wiping element always in a direction to urge the marginal material inwardly across the edge of the last bottom, and shifting the place of application of said in-wiping thrust uninterruptedly along the edge of the last so as progressively to wipe in fresh areas of the marginal material while keeping the place of engagement of the wiping element with the work always at substantially the same distance from the place of application of up-drafting stress.

7. That method of lasting a shoe which comprises as steps applying up-drafting stress to a narrow area of the margin of the upper, thereby to draw the upper snugly about the last, shifting the point of application of such up-drafting stress uninterruptedly along the margin in such a way that as a fresh area of the margin is subjected to such stress an area just previously subjected to stress is relieved of such stress, and subjecting each area of the margin as the updrafting stress is being released therefrom to a smooth uninterrupted inwardly directed screw thrust applied by means of a rotating, tapering, helical wiping element, which partially embeds itself in the marginal material, keeping the axis of said element always transverse to the edge of the last, and constantly rotating said helical element while concomitantly relatively shifting the axis of said element and the last'so that the point of engagement of said helical element with the marginal material moves uninterruptedly along the edge of the last bottom.

JACOB S. KAMBORIAN.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

